Little East Conference honors for PSU Basketball players

Dec 08, 2008

PLYMOUTH, N.H. - Two Plymouth State
University basketball players were honored by the Little East
Conference Monday with recognition for their performances in
Panther games last week.

Junior guard Jason O'Keefe (Everett,
Mass./Everett) was selected LEC Men's Basketball Player of the
Week, and sophomore Amanda Kania (Manchester,
N.H./West) was on the LEC Weekly Honor Roll. It is the first honor
this season for both individuals, who were both recognized with LEC
weekly honors last winter.

A 6'3" guard, O'Keefe (right) averaged 20.3 points in a
1-2 week for the Panthers which included a key win last Saturday
over Eastern Connecticut in the LEC opener. He tossed in a
career-high 28 points in Thursday's non-conference loss to Tufts,
making 4-of-9 from three-point range, and he scored a game-high 22
points in Saturday's conference win over Eastern Conn., making
8-of-13 shots from the field. O'Keefe shot 47.8 percent from
the field, 42.9 percent from three-point land and 80.0 percent from
the free throw line for the week, and he also blocked five shots.

O'Keefe has taken over the PSU and LEC scoring lead, averaging 17.4
points per game for the season. He also leads the conference
in successful three-point baskets (20 total, or 2.9 per game) and
ranks fifth in three-point field goal percentage (43.5, or
20-of-46).

A 5'11" forward, Kania (left) averaged 15.0 points and 8.0
rebounds for PSU in an 0-2 week. She had a double-double with
19 points and 11 rebounds in PSU's home loss to Colby-Sawyer on
Tuesday, and she had 11 points and five boards in a conference loss
to pre-season favorite Eastern Connecticut on Saturday. Kania
shot 44.8 percent from the field and she hit both free throw
attempts while adding an assist, three blocked shots and two
steals.

Kania is tied for ninth in the LEC in scoring with 12.2 points per
game and ranks 12th in rebounding with 6.3 boards per
contest. She is also sixth in field goal percentage (46.4)
and tied for fifth in blocked shots (1.0 per game).

The Panther women, 4-2 overall, will play a non-conference game
Tuesday at Lasell College (8:00 p.m.). The PSU squads will
then play a non-conference twinbill Thursday at Lyndon State
College (women at 5:30 p.m., men at 7:30 p.m.) and a Little East
doubleheader Saturday at Foley Gymnasium against Western
Connecticut (women at 1:00 p.m., men at 3:00 p.m.) The Panther men,
3-4 overall, will also travel to Granite State foe Dartmouth
College on Sunday to wrap up the first semester (2:00 p.m.)